A review by wynwicket
The Briar King by Greg Keyes

5.0

The first book in the Kingdoms of Thorn and Bone quartet introduces some intriguing characters (my favorite of which is Stephen, a young priest with a talent for deciphering ancient languages) and plenty of dark, wild magic. All the elements of traditional epic fantasy are there, but it's so well-written, with dashes of Old English for flavor and some beautiful language, that the occasional cliche can be overlooked. I will definitely be reading the rest of the series.